112 THE LTON T . 



The temper of the northern lynx, again, like 

 that of the bear and lion, is not always to be 

 depended on. Once I reared three beautiful 

 specimens of this animal. As they were very 

 tame and playful, I and my deceased brother were 

 accustomed to take them into the room, where 

 they performed the most extravagant antics. One 

 day, whilst thus amusing ourselves, I observed 

 one of the young brutes seize my brother by the 

 neck, but as he kept laughing, 1 at first imagined 

 it was only merely playing with him. All of a 

 sudden, however, my brother became silent, 

 sighed, uttered sounds of distress, and at length 

 burst into tears. Rushing up to him, I discovered, 

 to my horror, that the lynx was clinging like a 

 leech to the back of the ear of the poor boy, and 

 rapidly drawing away his life-blood. Happily, 

 however, and before the brute had inflicted any 

 serious mischief, I succeeded in separating him 

 from his intended victim. 



The natives of Southern Africa, I may here 

 remark, entertain many very singular notions, 

 or superstitions if you will, regarding the lion. 

 Amongst the rest, that when that beast finds 

 himself unable to bear away his victim to some 

 solitary place where he can satisfy his hunger in 

 quiet, he repairs to a certain bush, at the root of 

 which bulbs, possessed of peculiar virtues, are said 

 to grow; and after partaking of these wonderful 

 succulents his strength and vigour are believed to be 

 increased tenfold, and he is enabled to accomplish 

 his task with the greatest possible ease and facility. 



